San Francisco Criminal Defense Attorney

David Wise is a San Francisco Criminal Defense Attorney that doesn’t back down against the prosecution. As a San Francisco Criminal Defense Lawyer for nearly two decades, he has been a very effective San Francisco DUI Lawyer, Oakland and Alameda County Attorney and is a very knowledgeable DUI Lawyer that has an amazing track record for winning cases for clients. If you are searching for very good representation at a fair price, we would enjoy assisting you with your case. If you have been searching for Bay Area Criminal Lawyers with a good track record and dependable representation, look no further.

General Legal Information

If arrested, do not talk to the police or anyone else until you have consulted with a lawyer. I have never seen a case where this has helped, and has not hurt a client's position.

Do not talk to police after they read you your Miranda rights, even if they tell you that what you say can't be used against you. Ask to speak to a lawyer and remain silent until your lawyer arrives, even if it means waiting.

Ask questions of your "counselor at law." Your lawyer is supposed to help you understand the process. It's O.K. to ask pointed questions, even if your lawyer acts like you are wasting his/her time. That is why lawyers are called "counselors at law."

Is your current lawyer filing any legal motions to attack the prosecution process? Studies have show that there is a correlation between more motions filed and better results for a defendant at the end of a case. After all, the best defense is a good offense.

Do not consent to police searches of your person, car, trunk, house or property (especially if there is even a remote chance that something illegal will be found.) Typically a police officer will say "you don't mind if I look in your trunk really quick?" to which you should usually respond "I do not consent to a search without a search warrant."

If you are in a county that does not provide a defense lawyer at your first court appearance, do not talk to an assistant district attorney about your case, and do not plead guilty before the judge. You should talk to, and have your case evaluated by a defense lawyer before you admit to any guilt. If you do not talk to a defense lawyer you are not finding out about possible defenses and are probably getting taken advantage of, and getting a bad deal.

You should always consider the option of a jury trial. Make sure you lawyer is not afraid, in general, of taking a case to jury trial with confidence. That doesn't necessarily mean that your case should be taken to trial. However, there should always be a frank discussion of the trial merits of your case, and a consideration of whether a trial is the best way of winning.

Investigation by the defense is crucial to having a winning case. Many people think that the defense lawyer alone wins the case. The defense investigator is the one who talks to the witnesses and finds the evidence, or the inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence, which the defense lawyer capitalizes on. Investment in hiring a defense investigator is always worthwhile, and often means the difference between a good or a bad result.

The right to counsel includes the right to an investigator if an investigator is necessary to assist counsel in the preparation of the defense case. You have the right to have court pay for investigators and experts if you have run out of money hiring a private lawyer, or if your family hired the lawyer and you have no money. "The right to counsel includes the right to the use of experts such as psychiatrists or psychologists or any other expert that will assist counsel in preparing a defense."

This is free general legal information, and not legal advice about your, or anyone's, case. It may not apply to the facts of your case. You should not rely on this, but should retain and consult with a criminal defense attorney about the specific facts of your case, and follow your attorney's advice.